Ripping the curtain
by latin master
Summary: Due to circumstances, Harry Potter gets a message from benefactors other than Hogwarts. From a seemingly tiny decision, Potter's path will violently change. For death further along the line, and cursing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Boy, we're going to the optometrist and you're coming with us."

Now, Harry Potter wore glasses for the reasons that most people do normally: bad eyesight. So in reality he really did need to see the eye doctor, since his prescription had changed. Lacking the depth perception to dodge a bludger shot at him in one practice had really driven that point at home.

So the words themselves hadn't shocked him.

Rather, it was who was saying them.

Vernon Dursley.

More than any of his relatives, Harry despised Vernon Dursley. Petunia could be absolved because she just wanted to be normal and had an intense fear of the magical. Her fear drove her to lash out emotionally but that was as far as it went.

The sad part was that considering the general opinion of the magic world to muggle society, her fear was actually justified. Especially with people like the death eaters hanging around. He was still sure that she kept a shotgun beneath her bed.

Vernon Dursley had no such excuse.

The man didn't just despise magical people but he also despised (in consecutive order) people with odd taste in clothes, foreigners and liberals. The man virtually disliked anybody that was different from himself, and those who he liked he was constantly competing with in material goods such as his car. Harry honestly pitied the man almost as much as he hated him.

Needless to say where Petunia had been prone to occasional nice things to say (never in the presence of Vernon), Vernon Dursley never had anything decent to say. Harry was pretty sure they hadn't actually tried to literally beat the magic only because eventually it would have gotten noticed by the school teachers who actually liked him. Harry often wondered if they had called social services, only to mysteriously have their memory rewritten.

Earlier he would have just called it paranoia.

With his current knowledge of obliviators, the paranoia seemed all too real.

So Vernon Dursley was the last person he expected to show him concern.

Not wanting to risk ruining such an opportunity by questioning it and knowing that Vernon was far too scared of Dumbledore to even _consider_ abandoning him in the middle of London, he rushed to get dressed.

If he had stayed just a bit longer he would have seen a relieved expression cross his uncle's face.

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Harry quickly found that 'us' was just Vernon and him.

The ride into London was incredibly silent only punctuated by the sound of breathing. Neither of them particularly wanted to say anything nor did they have anything to say. Most of Harry's life revolved around the magical world and Vernon already bragged about every single success in his company.

Both of them were very happy when they got to their destination and the tension disappeared.

Harry hadn't been left out of Surrey for almost his entire life. The only other places he went where Hogwarts, Diagon alley and the one time at the zoo. Needless to say the last one was a bad experience during and after.

So when he got his chance to come out and saw an underground parking lot, he wasn't disappointed.

"Come on boy. The sooner we get this done with the better." Vernon gruffly announced pointing to the stairs.

The trip up the stairs ended in broad daylight with Vernon grumbling about increased ticket prices and crappy parking positions.

Harry Potter caught his first glimpse of the building his uncle was taking him to.

Having already passed through the square, he'd seen his share of tall buildings. However, he expected to go to a rather small one seeing as his uncle wasn't likely to spend more than necessary on him. His expectations were once again flattened when he saw that the building had to at least be fifteen stories tall.

As much as he hated to do it…he was going to have to thank his uncle.

He turned his head to thank his Uncle…and saw something that scared him.

Vernon was pale white. Something within that building was scaring him to the point where even magic could not reach. Considering that magic scared the living crap out of him that was really saying something.

Harry was immediately thankful that he had his wand with him.

Harry found himself riding the elevator after walking past the secretary who had to be related to Madam Pince in some way.

The tension finally tightened to a choke point when Harry finally brought up the courage to ask a question "Uncle…you're not taking me to an eye doctor, are you?"

His uncle's face already sweaty swung towards his direction so fast that Harry was sure he sprained something. Beady little eyes looked at him for a moment before he said in the most silent voice he had ever used "Boy, if you know what is good for both of us, you won't do any of that weird stuff around here."

Harry was about to call him out on that, when he mentally retraced the conversation.

'_Good for both of us' _

What the hell could he mean?

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The 'eye-doctor's' office was of very Spartan-liked design. Nearly everything was either black, brown or white-Harry honestly couldn't see any bit of color anywhere. The resident of the office was no different.

The woman was dressed in a black suit and pants with a black tie. Harry would have bet several galleons, that the shoes were shiny black as well. Her brown hair was cut short into a sort of bob cut/military hair cut, to the point that it looked exactly like a young man. From behind, the woman would have seemed like a young man.

The woman's expression shifted a minute bit from the impassiveness it formerly had when he had been called in. Now it was back to stone-like expression with her eyes subtly taking in his appearance. McGonagall would have been proud.

Harry on the other hand was more nervous than anything else.

"Mr. Dursley, if you could please leave. The envelope is with the secretary." The woman quietly commented, eyes never leaving Harry.

Vernon Dursley moved so fast that the door was still swinging when he got to the secretary.

Harry was suddenly aware that he was very much alone and with no idea of what he was involved in.

Carefully he removed his wand and shifted it so that the woman couldn't see it. Preparing to stun first ask questions later, he was going to move his wand in just-

"I wouldn't do that." The well dressed woman rapped out.

"Huh?" Harry shocked out of his planning, intelligently said.

"You are obviously planning to cast a spell in my direction. If your ridiculous attempt to hide your wand" Harry winced "from me is any indication." Setting down her hands to show that they were empty, she continued "Mr. Potter, your disappearance, would make my life incredibly difficult with the ministry. I'd rather not have to go into hiding from a bunch of logic-impaired wizards if you please."

"So what are you suggesting?" Harry asked still on his guard.

"I am suggesting that you sit down and we can talk like two civilized human beings."

Harry, keeping his eyes on her, slowly sank into the comfortable chair. As an added show of grace, he placed his wand on the desk-still within reach but visible.

The woman's lips twitched and she removed the handgun from her lap and quietly placed it in front of her.

His eyes bugged out at the sight of the weapon and he realized how close he had become to being a corpse on the floor.

Pretending not to notice the pale expression on Harry's face, the woman introduced herself "My name is Jane Ockham. Apologies for having to meet you in such a manner but Dumbledore's interference gave me little choice. The message we tried to send you by owl was intercepted."

"You tried to contact me before this?" Harry asked.

"Indeed." Ockham waited for Harry to process this.

"Unfortunately, _Mr. Dumbledore_" Ockham commented "didn't apparently feel that you had the right to know that you had other options to do magic outside of Hogwarts."

"What!" Ockham looked at him annoyed at the outburst and Harry quieted down "…what exactly are you talking about?"

Ockham sighed and rubbed her forehead "Get comfortable Mr. Potter. This is going to be a rather long story." Seeing Harry settle down "You must be aware that there are other magical schools that exist besides Hogwarts-"

"There are?" Harry interrupted.

"…Yes." Ockham fairly growled out and Harry decided to grow silent "Some of them are more recent while others are a fair bit older than Hogwarts. The one I work for is the Licens school for magic."

Harry frowned "Never heard of it."

"Not surprising, if Dumbledore is monitoring your mail and deciding what you see and read." She continued before Harry could try to rise up in Dumbledore's defense "The Licens school of magic is a school that was set up in the late 1970's by the last heir of the Licens family. Upon his death, his will stated to leave most of his funds to create a school for magic in London in direct defiance to the death eaters who had killed him."

"Why did the death eaters kill him?" Harry asked curious.

"Alexander Licens was a squib, who by fantastic luck and good survival skills, managed to survive when all his wizarding relatives died. The inheritance naturally went to him no matter how much the purebloods argued. Blood is thicker than magic, after all." The smile that appeared on Ockham's face was just a tiny bit vindictive and spiteful "The first thing he did was write a will and make multiple copies to send to beneficiaries many of which disliked the ministry, and wouldn't be bribed to hush up. When Alexander Licens died by an…unfortunate accident, the school was already halfway being set up. It was his way of spitting at the death eaters and the society that despised him." Ockham explained.

"Oh." Harry awkwardly said.

"Naturally, the death eaters very much didn't like that." Harry snorted at the understatement "They attempted to kill all the teachers."

"What stopped them?" Harry said half expecting to hear Dumbledore.

"The mundane who had a personal interest in creating a school close to home. We answered spells with bullets." Harry gulped "The ministry fell into a tizzy. They would rather mundane get slaughtered than fight back-we were of differing opinions of that regard."

Ockham continued after drinking from her tea cup "Instead of getting in a losing battle with the magical government, we went straight to the prime minister and told him of the situation."

Harry who had been drinking tea spat it out "Bu-statute of secre-"

Ockham carefully made sure that her papers were away from the spat out tea on her desk before responding "The prime minister is by necessity informed of magic upon his acceptance of the office. Meaning that we did not break the statute. Seeing as the magical government was already having problems dealing with death eaters and didn't want to add such things as the mundane government interfering, they left us alone. In return we produce the majority of mundaneborns who work for the sections that deal with magic in the mundane government and occasionally give the man advice of magical matters."

Harry was rapidly trying to absorb the knowledge imparted on him. He wasn't getting anywhere and was becoming numb with shock at all the information imparted on him. He was saved by Ockham continuing her speech.

"The fact is that Hogwarts detest us."

Harry blinked in surprise "Uh-"

Ockham shook her head at Harry's denial "Do you know how British magical society works, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head after a moment of thought.

"It depends on the influx of mundaneborns from the outside. Each year the society stagnates more and more in the face of the mundane government's progress. If you were only to count the purebloods and half-bloods there wouldn't be enough for a society to function, and it would slowly degrade in isolation. Magical Britain needs the mundane world a lot more than the mundane need it." Ockham finished.

Harry Potter frowned at that "That's not true."

Ockham raised an eyebrow "Please continue."

Harry suddenly was on the spot and bravely decided to tread forward "In Hogwarts there are an even number of purebloods with muggleborns. If what you said was true there would be far more muggleborns than purebloods."

"Good observation, Mr. Potter." Ockham conceded "However…do tell me something about Hogwarts. Would you consider it prestigious?"

Harry blinked in surprise. He really was beginning to hate that feeling "Yes…I guess so."

"Luxurious?"

Harry thought of the beds, dormitories and foods provided "Yes."

"Stocked with many books that you won't find anywhere else?"

"Yes."

"So naturally this wouldn't come cheap wouldn't you say?" Ockham led.

"I guess n-oh." Harry paused finally seeing the point.

"Many pureblood families have accumulated wealth because of their long histories and bloody conquests. As such more of them are able to attend than the average mundaneborn."

"This doesn't answer why Hogwarts detests you." Harry truculently pointed out feeling very much like an uninformed idiot.

"You needed to know the facts before I get further. Over the last ten years, word of Hogwarts declining standards has spread. Your appearance in the school signaled a more significant decline."

"Are you saying that because of me, the school has become more dangerous?" Harry asked as calmly as he could.

Judging by the scathing look he was sent, it wasn't calmly enough "We both know the facts. The school was plenty dangerous already before you showed up-but you set a fuse."

Ockham smiled at Harry's deceptively impassive face "While the pureblood and half-blood community are content to simply roll with the changes and put their children in death's jaws repeatedly, mundane are not like that. All we had to do was point them to newspaper articles detailing the incidents, and Hogwarts lost a full 2/4th of their mundaneborn potential students-when they were already losing plenty."

Harry fought not to yell. He loved Hogwarts but everything that the woman was pointing out was true. He had just never considered what an impact on Hogwarts it would have.

"Let me guess. All of them go to Licens now." Harry said.

"Hardly. We are not the only school in London. There are apprenticeships out there as well. We do take the majority though."

"So Hogwarts detests you…"

"…because we simply give the mundane more information. We actually call them when their child is put in danger instead of thinking of them as unimportant. We have e-mail. We are closer to the mundane world and provide a portal. We are simply that much more hospitable to the mundane world than Hogwarts will _ever_ be." The smile on Ockham's face grew brighter as she continued "We are the new. The practical. The non-traditional. In the end, we have simply developed faster than Hogwarts has. We are the future."

Harry Potter rose an eyebrow "You realize how much like a classical evil overlord you sounded right now."

Ockham coughed and blushed in embarrassment "Sorry, habit of mine. Too many drama classes."

"Ah."

"Anyway, let me get to the point. We can't offer you the full course of tuition because you are already attending Hogwarts. What we can offer you is a place to practice magic freely within the school for the summer."

Harry frowned. The offer was excellent but…"Won't the ministry get me for practicing magic illegally?"

Ockham smirked "The underage magical law specifically states that you can use magic so long as a capable magical adult is near you and you are under his/her/its supervision. Meaning that technically there can be…oh, thirty mundaneborns within a single room and two magical adults. The ministry would be able to do nothing to limit them."

Harry grinned "Really?" Harry looked puzzled for a second "Does it really say 'its supervision'?"

"Transfiguration incident."

"Oh."

Harry thought about it. He would be able to get away from the Dursleys. He would be able to practice magic and get the assignments that he formerly had to do under the cover of darkness done in broad daylight. He would be able to be more informed of the magical world. Harry furiously thought of a downside.

He could see none.

"Miss Ockham, you have a deal."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jane Ockham waited until the elevator dinged before sinking into her chair.

After a moment of relief, she began to take out her wand and shrinking all the objects in the room. Taking out a carry-all trunk, she began stuffing the miniatures within and carefully sweeping the room for any object that had made contact with her. Sighing with relief, she took out something that glinted and shined from her breast pocket.

Roughly the size and shape of a small CD, it was coated in silver with occasional runes interspaced. The device was in fact a magical scrambler, one of the many magical obscuring devices available to people with certain…connections. When you had enemies like Dumbledore and Tom Riddle it paid to be prepared.

As soon as the rabbit-like scream was finished from the activated disk, she uttered a set of key words "_Esse est precipi_" and looked at the world with fresh eyes. The contacts she had on made it so that she could easily see magic with the appropriate key words. It had come more than useful once in detecting people under disillusionment charms.

When a wizard cast magic, traces were left. These traces could be used to track the user with the right equipment, something she didn't doubt that Dumbledore had in his possession. The 'traces' now resembled scattered fragments that would be impossible for someone to identify much less use as a tracker.

Satisfied with her security measures, she left the room and froze upon seeing an unexpected visitor.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you this early." Ockham commented lightly.

A quiet chuckle "What can I say, I figure I might as well get this over with as quick as possible. Did the kid agree?"

"Yes."

"Perfect."

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That night with the Dursley's was possibly the quietest night Harry had ever experienced.

It also happened to be the tensest night Harry had ever experienced.

Vernon looked like he wanted to unwind, and had even gotten a decent amount of cash out of it. On the other hand, Harry recognized the signs that someone had exerted greater force on him and made him back down from an action. Vernon Dursley was a control freak and having someone take control away from him was possibly one of the few actions that drove him to get as angry as when the M-word was mentioned.

Compounding it all was that although Harry would be out of their hair for most of the summer (he would sleep at the Dursleys and then leave on a bus in the morning, and return at night), he would also be learning the M-word. The Dursleys had spent the first eleven years of Harry's life attempting (rather pathetically and sadly one might add) to stamp out the magic in him, and they weren't happy that Harry would be learning more magic in the summer. However they (or rather Vernon, and through him the rest of the family) also realized that this headmistress was also incredibly interested in the well being of Harry, and would take…offense if anything like his second year were to happen again.

The whole situation made it so that the Dursleys couldn't control or do squat, and nothing made them angrier than a lack of control and powerlessness.

Harry had never been happier to get out of the house than he was that morning.

The bus ride to London was a pleasant contrast to his earlier experience of the Knight bus. While it didn't have anywhere near the same speed as the Knight bus and it didn't have beds, Harry didn't feel like his life was in immediate danger when he rode it. Harry had not quite assimilated the attitudes of 'crazy muggles' that the magical society demonstrated, and so didn't find any problem in making the ride.

On the other hand, some magical attitudes showed when he got off the bus and saw his school.

The 'school' in question was a monolith of steel and stone. It seemed more cold and…well impersonal. Harry couldn't see anything magical in the building and he felt an odd sense of disappointment which he felt strangely ashamed of. He could see multiple teenagers his age ascending the steps with trunks similar to his own. None of them had anything so obvious as an owl and only one had a cat.

Also, none of them were dressed in robes.

If Harry hadn't known what the building was he would have completely thought that it was some normal school.

He expected stares, and whispering when he got in but only a few people spared him a glance. He went up to one of the three security desks, where the students were flashing an ID. Harry himself had a summer pass but it felt strangely inadequate.

"I haven't seen you before, here? Are you new?" A black girl who had been in front of him queried.

Harry sensed that she was asking more out of boredom than anything else, and quickly responded "I'm Harry. I'm just here to use the facilities for practice."

"Ah. One of those." The girl seemed to remember that she hadn't revealed her name "Name's Margaret."

"What do you mean 'one of those'?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, there are the people who actually learn here and there are those who simply use this place to practice, study and chat with their friends. You're in the second category." Margaret answered calmly, taking a irritated glance at the shortening line.

"Oh…is that bad?" Harry queried hesitantly.

"No. Not really, so long as you pay and all that. It's just that some of the students are from Hogwarts and they tend to bring the whole house arguments with them-it got to the point where if a Gryffindor and a Slytherin were in the same room we just blasted both of them when they got into a fight." Margaret stated, scowl on her lips.

Harry decided that it would be prudent to not tell her he was in Gryffindor.

"So I'm guessing you are a muggleborn." Harry stated, seeing the cellphone she had in her breast pocket.

Margaret's face twisted into something harsh for a moment and silence took the line as some people turned to look at him "Mundane."

"Huh?" Harry replied.

"The polite word is mundane. No one likes having a word similar to fool being used to identify them." Margaret explained still frosty.

"…right. Sorry." Harry apologized noting that a few students were now whispering.

Margaret's face softened and she even smiled a bit "Judging by that social faux pas just now, I presume you go to Hogwarts."

"That obvious, huh." Harry shyly stated

"Yeah. At least you showed up in inconspicuous clothes. We had some people showing up in robes." Margaret chuckled at a far off memory.

"So it's mostly mug-mundane-born who study here?" Harry asked.

"If you need to know it's almost the exact opposite in terms of student arrivals than Hogwarts." Margaret continued not noting the odd look Harry was giving her "Where Hogwarts has 25% of the students being from mundane origins, the rest being purebloods or half-bloods, Licens has 75% being from mundane origins and the rest being from more obvious magical origins."

"Where do you get this information from?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I'm working on an essay." Margaret supplied.

"Ah…"

The conversation was cut short when the line finally got to the point where Margaret met the security guard.

As Margaret waved goodbye, and strolled to the elevator; Harry gave his summer pass to the security guard. Beady eyes checked the summer pass, and the guard gave a single grunt (sounding remarkably like Goyle actually) and passed him on. Harry almost found it odd that no one was making a big fuss over him being there.

It wasn't bad-just odd.

Kind of nice to be part of the crowd for once.

If only he realized that he distinctly wasn't going to be part of the crowd for much longer.

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"Room 712, Room 713, Room 714…." Harry muttered looking for his designated room.

After stepping off the elevator for the seventh floor, Harry quickly revised his opinion of the magic within the building. Although there was no obvious signs such as a moving paintings or moving stairs, the building had some mean space expansion charms put on it. Harry felt like he had run halfway through Hogwarts and some of the classrooms were far bigger than it should by the laws of physics.

Harry did see a few moving pictures though, and there were maps on the lobby of each floor to help guide lost people. Hogwarts could have definitely used that-Harry still remembered running around on his first day.

"Room 720. Finally." Harry grumbled and went in.

He instantly knew the classroom was different from the rest. It was much smaller than the rest, although clearly expanded beyond its original confines. There were some dummies hanging around with targets on them. There was one large desk instead of many smaller ones like he had seen in others.

It was the two women that drew attention.

Ockham was quite recognizable. The other witch was not so recognizable, as she was near anorexic looking. Harry half expected her hair to have started falling out, but it was still there blonde and long. Blue eyes , far more alive than they should be on anyone with her appearance , scanned over him in mild interest.

Harry's eyes caught movement and he contained a gasp as he realized that there had been a woman sitting no more than 5 feet next to him for the entire time he had been standing there. She had been so quiet and still, his eyes hadn't even registered her.

"Mr. Potter, I welcome you to Licens." Ockham smiled "This two ladies have matters to talk with you. However, before I leave you to them. Let me revise the rules:" Ockham started talking in what was a clearly practiced speech.

"No casting spells at other students unless given express permission by a member of staff-even then restraint should be practiced. We catch you dueling **or **physically fighting, that's one demerit for you. Two times after that and we'll kick you out of here. The only spell you are allowed to cast outside of class limits is protégo, and other shielding variants. Any injuries you acquire through your own actions is not the fault of the school. The rest is common sense, Mr. Potter." Ockham finished and left the room.

But not before whispering two words "Good luck."

Well, that made him feel a whole lot better.

"Uh, I'm Harry Pott-" He began.

"Mr. Potter, there is no need for introductions on your behalf. Believe me." The blonde scarecrow let out in a reedy amused voice "My name is Sarah Claremont and my companion is Alice Licens."

Harry rose an eyebrow at that "…Licens, isn't that-"

The still woman suddenly turned her head to look at him before scowling "Yes. I'm the granddaughter of Alexander Licens."

Harry could sense that the topic was one that she didn't want to breach and fell silent.

Sarah spoke again, eyes on both of them "Mr. Potter let me cut straight to the point: We are offering tuition."

To Harry, it was actually expected.

"I figured somebody wanted to get me here-I certainly wasn't paying for this." Harry mused.

Sarah's lips twitched minutely "And how, Mr. Potter would you know what you are paying for?"

Harry looked at her for a minute before honestly thinking about it "Well, I'm the only one with the key."

Alice let out a chuckle "Who exactly gave you the key for your own vault?"

Harry thought about the answer for a bit before cursing "Shit."

Alice looked at Sarah amused "Seems the kid figured it out."

Sarah rubbed her chin "I don't know…he might just be scratching the surface."

Harry began to run through it verbally "If Hagrid gave me the key than that means someone in Hogwarts had the key before me. Mcgonaggal? No. Dumbledore."

He relaxed for a moment before Alice decided to throw another stone in the pond "How would you know that you're the only one with a key. You certainly can't go to Gringotts and ask with you being isolated."

"Every person I seem to meet lately is giving me these questions. So I've got one of my own: Who do you people work for?" Harry asked irritated.

Sarah and Alice responded at the same time "We work for Licens."

Harry snorted at that "I'm naïve but I'm not _that_ naïve."

"Suffice it to say Mr. Potter that we work for an organization that has developed an interest in your magical education and the political situation brewing around you." Sarah intoned emotionlessly.

Harry looked at the two stony faces in front of him "I'm not going to get more than that am I?"

"No."

"Does everyone know more about what's happening around me than I do myself?" Harry snapped out.

"Anyone with the slightest connections do. Fuck kid, the _Weasleys_ knew more about what was happening around you than you did. Not exactly the most political family out there." Alice mocked.

Harry sighed "You were saying something about tuition?"

"Ah, yes." Sarah rolled out a piece of paper "If you desire to learn from us, we will need you to sign this. If not, then you can leave this room and never see us again."

Harry began scanning the contract "Will I still be able to attend here summers?"

"Yes." Alice let out.

After ten minutes of awkward silence, Harry finished reading the rather simple contract. Gathering himself, he began to lay out what he learned "Alright, so this contract…it would prevent me from speaking about what I learn to anyone in detail-"

"As well, as any conversations that occur in the meantime." Alice introduced

"As well as force me to wear a…MDC?" Harry said confused.

"A mental defense collar." Sarah cleared up.

Harry groaned "There are people that go inside my head aren't there?"

Alice snorted "Kid, your head might as well be a big buffet of information. An undefended buffet with glowing signs saying 'Free Food!'. I would be surprised if you got your mind read less than twice a month."

"Cynical aren't you?" Harry dryly said.

"I prefer properly paranoid."

"So what is your decision?" Sarah interrupted before the wit could be spread even further.

Harry frowned. The deal was very good-he was unlikely to get tuition with Dumbledore or whoever handed Hagrid his key noticing and becoming interested. Not only that, his magic spells were…rather harmless. If he got into a fight, which had already happened to him multiple times, against anything less than a student of his year he was screwed.

"I agree." Harry said feeling much like he had just stepped off a ledge-and was determined to not look down.

Sarah and Alice let out grins that uncannily resembled a cat's "Then let's begin."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I _bloody_ hate you." Harry groused, tired.

"That's very nice." Licens said polishing one of her many knives.

The two weeks after Harry had agreed to learn under them had been…educational. It was obvious they subscribed to the 'beating motivation in' school. He was learning several times faster than he had in Hogwarts due to the pavlovian methods they were using on him. The first day had set the tune.

Alice Licens was a muggle. After two generations Squibs usually started having muggle children, making it so that more than once the grandparents looked barking. The question of how she could see past wards designed to fool muggles was answered when Harry caught the sight of contacts.

After that neat little revelation, Alice had nonchalantly asked Harry to a duel. Seeing as a duel usually involved _two_ people throwing spells around not just one, Harry was nonplussed. Still Alice insisted, and Harry reluctantly took out his wand for what he figured was going to be a short one sided fight.

Two seconds later, he had gotten hit with a barrage of magically blunted knives.

It had been the most humiliating fight Harry had been involved in. The woman's arms had been blurs as she had repeatedly thrown blunted knives at him, while he attempted to get a spell off. Whenever he would open his mouth, a blunted knife would slam its way into his temple interrupting it. He managed to finally get a spell off…which she nimbly dodged and used the shock to get in close so that she could pummel him.

After that beatdown, Harry had started taking whatever she was saying very much seriously.

Sarah, while not being quite as brutal as her counterpart , was very much a strict teacher. She had began to teach him silent casting and until Harry had managed to overcome his vocal limitations had refused to teach him a new spell. Harry became thoroughly motivated to learn and be honest that he had learned it, when she revealed that Alice would be testing whether he knew it silently.

With the proper motivation, Harry learned how to cast his spells silently within two weeks time.

Alice began to speak "Harry, tell me what is the best fight to be in?"

Harry thought for a moment "Uhhh…The one where you strike first?"

Alice smiled a tiny bit "That is part of it. However, the correct answer is _the one where your opponent doesn't know he is in one_."

"Huh?"

"Do you wonder why we have been teaching you silent spell casting instead of more powerful spells?" Alice led.

"Because you're sadistic?" Harry asked half-seriously.

Alice smirked "Partly. The real reason is because on a one on one fight between an adult wizard and you, the adult wizard is going to win. Unless they have been under a desk job the whole time, they have more experience with magic and will know more spells. The biggest edge you have over them is surprise and silence."

"So the best way to beat them is to hit them hard, hit them fast, and don't let them be prepared at all. Unfortunately the more powerful ones often have artifacts ready to counter surprise attacks."Alice groused.

Harry noticed the comment. Alice would occasionally come out with comments such as that one which made him wonder what she did in her free time. Considering the ease with which she would be able to kill the average wizard, especially if the knives were sharp instead of blunted, it was a dark thought.

Harry decided to ask-after placing his wand beneath the desk so that he could levitate the desk in front of him in a moment's notice "Miss Licens…do you hunt wizards during your spare time?"

Alice groaned "Harry, you seriously need to be more subtle about asking questions. Have you ever managed to trick anyone into answering your questions?"

"Yes, I have." Harry defended himself.

"Excluding Hagrid?"

"…"

"Didn't think so. To answer your question, I hunt the wizards that slip through their 'justice' system and start hunting mundane down."

"Don't aurors take care of that?" Harry answered

Alice snorted "The system hinders them as much as it does people like Arthur Weasley. You either owe favors to the elite or you are in the bottom. That's the way it goes." Alice scowled "Also they don't particularly care."

"It's their job." Harry pointed out.

"True. However, there is an unspoken rule that if you make it look like a mugging, or an ordinary serial killer they won't be pounding after you too hard. Especially if you have wealth on your side."

"But that's-"

"Unfair? Cruel? Yes. Harry, you have to remember something very important-the ministry's main purpose since its creation has been to hide the magical world away from the mundane. That it also polices wizards to do this is secondary."

"So there are people like you out there? Vigilantes?" Harry timidly asked.

"I wouldn't use the word Vigilantes. The European ministries knows of us but they think we are a minor threat- more bias of the mundane. We mostly just handle Europe-the Americas mostly handle themselves. Guns are much more prevalent over there."

"What do you do with the dark wizards you catch?" Harry asked.

"...catch?" Alice asked confused.

"Yeah, you catch them and then give them to the ministry." Harry clarified.

Alice looked at him confused "We don't catch people, Harry."

There was a pause as Harry's brain finally caught up "…You kill them?" Harry asked horrified.

"Yes. Harry we don't go after the people who do things like break into houses and such-we go after the people who like to have 'fun' with the mundane families." Alice grimaced "They're never quite the same after that. If they're lucky enough to be alive."

"But you don't have to kill them-" Harry argued.

"Yes, we do. Harry, one of the laws is that if a mundane kills a wizard they are executed. No trial, no arguments, nada. Just simple execution. Does that tell you enough about how likely they are to get away with the shit they do?"

"It just isn't right." Harry whispered unable to really beat that point.

"Of course it isn't right. It's the classic death penalty question-is it right that we execute somebody even if they did mutilate somebody? Do we have the right to take away another human being's life? Or do we let them go, so that they kill more people?"

"What's the answer?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. As you've probably noted I'm not the most moral person out there. What I do know is that I saved two families by the time I was sixteen because I was willing to kill. That doesn't make it right but it does make it so that I can sleep at night." Alice morosely commented.

There was silence in the air as tension filtered out. "Harry, it's your lunchtime go and eat something."

"The only reason you told me that was because the contract prevents me from saying it to anybody else?"

"Isn't that the only reason you shared your life story with us?" Alice shot back.

Harry grimaced at that point. It was true; after a week they had dragged his entire life out in the limelight. It had been embarrassing, humiliating and let him distinctly feeling naked afterwards. However, he had also felt lighter as well. He hadn't realized how much he was hiding from everybody.

"Still reviewing over it?" Harry commented.

"Hell yeah. We're finding all sorts of little odd things in your story." Alice said.

The words perturbed Harry "…odd things…"

"Yeah, logical inconstincies that may have not been obvious to you." Alice noted the disturbed look "Don't worry we'll tell you after you come back."

That did not make Harry feel any better walking down the cafeteria.

The feeling of unease was revealed to be spot on when he came back.

"We don't know where to begin." Both said simaltenously.

Very spot on.

"The beginning would be nice." grouched Harry, getting comfortable.

"Well, let's start with Hagrid picking you up." Alice began.

Harry groaned.

"First of all, it's…unusual that you were picked up by Hagrid." Sarah commented.

"Hagrid's a member of staff." Harry pointed out.

"True." Sarah conceded "But Hagrid has not been let to guide somebody _once_ in his career before he guided you. Not only that there are tours for the mundane born-that you should have been on."

"Well…maybe they forgot that I was raised with my uncle and thought I knew the basic stuff because I was a half-blood." Harry defended with an undercurrent of uncertainty.

"Possible." Alice commented "However, there is something far more odd about it-Hagrid is quite possibly the most fervent of Dumbledore's supporters. Not only would he spread Dumbledore's views into you, his attitude is also rather pro-gryffindor."

"So? Slytherin _is_ the evil house." Harry bristled.

Alice snorted "Up until you've had to clean up a bloody corpse, you haven't seen what evil is. The slytherin members are dominated by people like Malfoy because they have wealth and political power-not because they are actually the majority. Also, I seem to remember a certain Gryffindor who betrayed his friends…"

Harry winced "That's different."

"Sure it is." Alice smugly said.

"Although I am rather curious about how they couldn't see the betrayal coming…" Sarah thought out loud.

"What are you talking about?" Harry slowly said.

Sarah frowned "Harry…he transformed into a _rat_."

"…"

"Going past that." Alice bluntly diverted "The Weasleys."

"…Ron would never betray-" Harry began

"It's not Ron you should be watching out for." Sarah cut off Harry.

"Then who?"

"Consider this." Harry grimaced at what looked like another logical laying out of details "You were never told where the station was."

"Hagrid could have forgotten to."

"Very possible, considering his general personality." Sarah conceded "Now look at Molly Weasley."

"What about her?" Harry warily asked.

"What were the words she was practically yelling out in the air when you were lost?" Alice nudged.

Harry thought for a moment "Packed with muggle-" Harry stopped.

"Yes. Words that not only would a wizard recognize but shouted out? When you don't know where the station is?" Alice began to collect up steam "What was the next comment that she asked?"

"…the station." Harry morosely answered.

"Exactly. After she's had how many children go to Hogwarts?"

"5." Harry answered again feeling a cloud settle over him.

"You're seeing it now, aren't you?" Alice sadly concluded.

"…Yeah. Do you think Ron knew?" Harry wondered dismally.

"No." Both of his teachers said instantly shocking Harry at the lack of paranoia "He wouldn't be able to keep a secret at all." Harry found his belief in the universe reaffirmed again.

"Any other dropped bombs out there?" Harry miserably said.

"To summarize you were manipulated into getting the so called philosopher stone." Alice said.

"So called?" Harry asked not particularly wanting to know.

"Do you honestly think that a 650 year old alchemist would lend his most treasured possession to someone who is barely capping a hundred years for protection?"Sarah cynically said "In a school full of children?"

"Well it's Dumbledore." Harry said as if that was all the explanation needed.

"You've got to stop thinking that Dumbledore is the end all and be all of magic. He isn't the only archmage out there, just as Voldemort isn't the only dark lord out there." Alice grumbled.

Before Harry could rise in his mentors defense, Sarah smoothly slid in "Regardless of his status, I should point out that for a priceless artifact such as that…the security was abysmal."

"It wasn't a cakewalk." Harry protested.

"Yes, it was." Sarah firmly disagreed "There are wards and defenses that could be put up that would turn any first years into so much ash. Also…not to belittle your achievement…what would have happened if you hadn't gotten there?"

"Well, Voldemort would have gotten the stone-"

"By your own story it wasn't until you arrived that he had a way to get the stone." Sarah pointed out.

Harry opened his mouth to protest…and closed it when he realized that the thin woman was completely correct.

"…bloody hell."

"Never thought about that, Huh?" Alice said sympathetically.

"No." Harry said feeling even more depressed at realizing that he had done more to endanger the stone than save it.

Harry took a deep breath and resolutely looked ahead "I want to know everything, and I _mean _everything that I have either been subtly manipulated or not seen."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I want to come with you."

Alice raised an eyebrow "You want to come with me on a hunt."

Harry still pale from mustering the courage to ask such a request simply nodded.

"Any reasons I should take an undertrained wizard such as yourself on an illegal venture?" Alice asked snidely, counting her daggers mindlessly.

"I need to see for myself. I've had blinders on myself too long." Harry stammered out "I can't keep going as I have…and I want to see what the people who have been trying to kill me do to their victims."

Alice eyes took on a strange light "You seek…assurance."

Harry nodded, wondering what she was thinking.

There was silence between them as Alice contemplated Harry in a way that made the hair on his nape bristle.

"Very well. Remember though…you asked for this."Alice said, a unfamiliar emotion in her voice.

It wasn't until later that Harry would understand it was remorse for him.

"Harry." Alice said quietly.

Harry nearly jumped, as there had been silence for the last twenty minutes.

That was what usually happened on a stakeout.

They were seated on a black tent, that had a see-through door allowing them to see the doorway of the antiquated building. Next to them sat a device that was apparently meant to signal when apparition, portkey or floor happened in the viscinity. So far, nothing had happened.

"Yeah." whispered Harry.

"Do you know why the good side always seems like they're either getting a draw or losing?" Alice asked, her voice cold and flat.

Harry's face twisted into confusion. While he had thought about it (especially after Pettigrew had gotten away), he had never voiced it "No."

Alice continued "Because by it's very nature, good can't be proactive."

"…What?"

" 'Good' is supposed to protect-lives, establishments, and beliefs-not attack. They can only attack if they are attacked first-no sooner. Even if they know the enemy is no farther away than a hand span, they can't attack until that person attacks first." Alice continued scorn in her voice.

"What is your point?" Harry asked curious.

"How can you win if you aim to defend? How can you win if you are deliberately hindered by your morality into stunning and they aim to kill? 'Evil' is less…hampered…by morality, and thus their methods are more far reaching than good's will ever be. Good has more numbers, but evil had far more creativity."

"Good still triumphs." Harry pointed out.

"…Does it? Or does it just let 'evil' sit in place simmering, getting ready for that next push?" Alice contradicated.

Harry paused to think about that. The following three years of his education had shown him that the death eaters were making resurgences and a disturbing pattern glowed in his mind. Would executing the death eaters-even those who said they were under imperius-have stopped the resurgence? Would another cadre of dark wizards just risen to take it's place? Pureblood supremacy was in no short supply…

The device glowed with two pinpricks as two people apparated within the viscinity.

A grim smile appeared on Alice's face "Showtime."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

To Harry's surprise, he recognized one of his classmates or former classmates.

Marcus Flint was unusually twitchy this time, but still looked like he was half troll. His father on the other hand…

His father stood taller than his son, but was markedly thinner. Combined with his troll like characteristics, this made him look almost ridiculous. Up until you took a look into his eyes and saw the sheer amount of control he possessed. Nothing could be seen in his eyes, not hope, hatred or love.

Harry's disillusioned body made sure to keep out of the line of sight of both Flints. Apparently a lot of families had rings that allowed them to see past minor enchantments such as disillusionment. He wasn't about to risk that the Flint family was one.

Harry could feel his sweating palm. While he had been in his fair share of fights against vastly superior opponents, he had never gone looking for one. Most principally, he knew that this one was very illegal and what the sure outcome was.

Alice gave him a look, and then pointed to the opposite side of the house. Harry nodded, and waited for the appropriate time.

Ten minutes later it happened. The Flints had been sitting down, and enjoying a quiet meal when the front door exploded. Harry had to put his especially enchanted robe between the explosive to protect himself from the shrapnel. He waited for the timing.

The Flints were not stupid or deaf, and they rose as one with wands out pointed towards the source of the noise.

So they never saw the back door open to admit Alice Licens.

Alice Licens hands blurred, throwing a knife.

The head of the Flint family never had a chance to even scream as the knife stabbed its way into his lower brain. It was like looking at a puppet that had lost its strings as he fell face down. Marcus turned, wand ready to fire a spell towards his father's murderer.

"Avad-"

Harry moved faster than he had thought possible, and smoothly twitched his wand in the proper way to fire a silent stupefy. Marcus went down laying backwards next to his father's corpse. Harry waited a moment and appeared from thin air.

Alice smiled "Nice work."

Harry was staring at the knife embedded within Flint's father's skull.

Alice could see the impending signs of shock "Hey, Harry breathe." Alice reached down and tugged the sleeve to show a black mark "See? Death eater."

"Yeah." Harry faintly said.

"Snap out of it, Harry." Alice growled "Remember, you wanted to come to seek assurance."

"Yes." Harry sounded stronger, this time around.

Alice breathed in deep "Harry…once, you go down there." She pointed at a cellar "There is no going back. You will be forever stuck _knowing_ what they do."

Harry nodded, looking paler than before but resolute.

Alice looked at him with a degree of pity "Alright."

So Harry went down the cellar, feeling very much like Alice going down the rabbit hole.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alice looked up in surprise to see that Harry looked…different.

There was an edge there, that previously hadn't been. Conviction that resonated outwards, and a stony face. A tighter grip on his wand as he walked to Marcus Flint's stunned body.

Without pause, he pointed and said "Diffindo".

Marcus Flint began choking as his throat was cut open, but Harry paid him no mind.

Harry's stately appearance faded as he promptly threw up.

"How bad?" Alice asked.

"There were four bodies. Two of them looked small…at first they looked kind of like midgets but-" Harry began babbling.

"But they weren't." Alice concluded.

"No."

There was silence, as Alice left Harry to his thoughts.

Harry looked sick when he asked another question "Does this happen often?"

"The kidnapping of an entire family? No. But…they do like to take it out on the weak." Alice spat on the knifed corpse "Like murderous bullies."

"Alice, you said that good was like a shield." Harry said shifting the whole conversation.

"Yes." Alice said wondering where he was going with it.

"So what does that make us?" Harry asked looking at Marcus Flint's corpse.

"The _other_ evil side." Alice said in dark humor.

Harry grimly smiled "I think…I can live with that."

Author note: Pointer3109 made a point about how the side isn't actually evil. How terrorists are every bit as bad as put in the story. He's absolutely correct.

However, by canon Harry Potter standards, the side Alice is on is indeed an evil side. God knows in canon, the good side was never all that proactive. Rather than figure out where the remaining death eaters were and how to bypass their wards and utterly crush them, they let it go. Much like the typical good side in stories, besides a few things they are very much like a shield-meant only to defend. Only reacting when attacked or prodded. To put a description…Dumbledore after having figured out that Malfoy released a soul sucking journal which could have (and was very much in the process) killed Ginny Weasley, lets _him_ go. Yeah, he does give a Malfoy a warning but I think upon looking in the future books that it quite obviously didn't stick. Yes, killing Malfoy in the castle at that time would have been incredibly suspicious. Still this is Dumbledore, manipulative 'greater good' bastard extraordinare. Are you seriously telling me he couldn't engineer an accident?

'Thou shalt not kill' very much applies to fictional good sides.

That being said Canon Harry Potter is very much about love, friendship and forgiveness so one can't honestly expect something like that from it. Which is why we have fanfiction.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Quit ducking your head." Alice snapped as they entered the department store.

Harry immediately stopped doing so, feeling self conscious.

Having everybody recognize you in the Wizarding world would do that to you.

Fortunately, this was not the wizarding world but rather the mundane world where no one could give a second thought of Harry Potter.

"Harry…you are making yourself _more_ obvious. Now quit ducking that much." Alice told him, looking at some clothes.

"Why are we doing this?" Harry said, still nervous.

"Because you quite obviously need clothes." Alice responded "I've seen your pants, and they look like a dog used them to rub mud off."

"I get that part." Harry answered acidly "It's just why are you telling me all of this?"

"Harry…you are not as good at hiding as you think you are." Alice said dryly "I realize that hiding from your relatives successfully, might have given you an idea that you are but you're not. Your relatives _wanted _to ignore you."

"…Yes. But aren't you worried about somebody seeing me?" Harry said looking around.

"Here?" Alice gestured "This is Oxford street. Wizards avoid places like this like the bloody plague. Another piece of advice: You want to avoid wizards you go to mundane hotspots. The large crowds make it hell for a…normal…wizard to go through. Obliviators don't dare come around either."

"Why not?" Harry asked curiously.

"Too many people's memories to dispel, security cameras, and computer records all make an obliviators job hell. There's too much evidence to cover up even with the government's assistance." Alice paused for a moment as if remembering an event "Also mobs can easily go the other way."

"Huh?"

"You know how people have a mob mentality when they panic? They start running away, regardless of whether they could actually crush the aggressor. It's that principle that people who hold up stores work by." Alice commented.

"Well, yeah. They're afraid for their lives." Harry answered sarcastically.

"_Exactly_." Alice crowed "Guess what happens when they don't have a ready exit?"

"They attack." Understanding dawned on Harry.

"Yes. I've seen a squad of obliviators and the wizard that was attacking in the first place get the shit beaten out of them by a mob because they got cocky. The government had a hell of a time covering that up and the corpses." Alice said the last part in a low voice.

"So you're teaching me not to stick out in a crowd." Harry realized.

"Yes. _Without_ magic. You wouldn't believe how many wizards simply think a notice-me-not charm will work when hiding."

Harry frowned "Wouldn't it?"

"Yeah…if you were hiding from people who couldn't do magic in the first place. One magical scanning spell, and you light up like a torch."

Harry winced "Ouch."

"Yeah."

"So what do I do?"

"First of all act like you belong in the place. Looking around nervously isn't going to help you. Dress appropriately. You wouldn't be wearing hawain shorts in the fall season of Germany, now would you?"

Harry snorted at the image.

"If you can't use the appropriate language, simply recognize key phrases and nod as if you actually understand. This applies to teenage lingo by the way."

"Teenage lingo?" Harry asked confused.

"Believe me, when you're my age, you'll feel like it's a different language."

"I'll take your word for it." Harry said dryly.

"Thirdly, and most important: change your main feature with cosmetics."

"Main feature?"

"Everyone has one. You have your scar, Weasleys have their hair, Malfoys have their bleach blonde hair, and Dumbledore has his glasses. Without them most people find it harder to identify a person."

"Ahhh."

Alice strode over to the cashier with her payload "So how have been your dreams?"

Harry knew what she was really asking "They've been so-so. It…bothers me how fast I got over it."

Alice took out her credit card "The cut or the broken dolls?"

It took Harry a moment to understand what she was saying but then realized they were in front of a cashier "Both."

They strode out of the department store with their bags and went to the nearby KFC. After letting Harry munch his chicken in peace, and confident that the background noise obscured any attempts at listening in, Alice began to speak.

"Harry, I know this is going to sound cruel…but you were already on your way of being desensitized to violence."

"How so?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Harry, you killed your professor during your first year, a basilisk stuck a fang through your arm, a bludger broke your arm, and you have faced an entire group of dementors. That's without mentioning all the other incidents. You are already used to it."

"So. I never got to see any bodies."

"…This people didn't have any emotional connections to you, Harry. As harsh as it sounds if it was between seeing Hermoine's body and those bodies, you would choose the latter any day." Alice carefully enunciated.

"I would not." Harry harshly whispered.

Alice rose an eyebrow and then sighed, a sad smile on her face "Very well. You will understand it later."

XXXXXXXXXXlinebreak

"Harry, can you tell me who the most problematic type of wizards are?" Sarah said.

Harry desperately tried to remember the types, and which would give most problems "Uh…Transfiguration masters, and illusionists?" Harry said wincing.

"You missed blood mages but besides that-spot on." Sarah congratulated him.

"Blood mages? Aren't those the type that die early because they use up all the blood in their body?" Harry asked confused.

"It used to be that way. Until one blood mage went into a blood bank and figured out that he could start bringing blood in vials around him." Sarah groused.

"Oh." Harry wondered how destructive they could be now than before, and shuddered.

"Something important you have to remember-progress is open to all sides. You're actually lucky that you're facing death eaters because this people are the least likely to modernize, their very own dogma holds them back from becoming as much of a threat as rogue dark wizards."

"Rogue dark wizards?"

Sarah blinked "I guess I haven't told you about that. Very well. In Britain, the majority of the dark wizards are death eaters or affiliated with death eaters. However, there are always rogue ones which are the most dangerous for aurors to face-and us as well. Rogue ones don't feel chained to tradition so they start experimenting with spells without any morality attached to it. This makes them very variable, and very dangerous since not only do they have to survive against the aurors, they have to survive against the death eaters. So if you meet an old rogue dark wizard, start running the other way because I can guarantee you he didn't get there by being weak."

"Define old." Harry said dryly.

"50 or older."

"Isn't that kind of young?" Harry said.

"This people have two groups of magic users who practically rule the government together-getting to be fifty is an _achievement._" Sarah said dryly.

"Ah."

"Anyway, I got off track. What are some of the reasons Transfiguration masters are incredibly dangerous?"

"Because they turn the whole battlefield against you." Harry said already having memorized.

"Exactly. So what do you do?"

"Sneak behind them, and blast them with everything I have." Harry frowned "Aren't I supposed to do that to _every_ wizard I fight?"

"Yes. But for transfiguration masters it goes double." Sarah continued "Anyway, Illusion masters practically do the same thing. They make you _think_ that the whole battlefield has turned against you as well as your comrades. I saw an entire gang in Russia tear themselves to pieces because they thought each other were traitors to their cause. Poor suckers."

"Were they bad people?"

Sarah steadfastly ignored the comment "Let me tell you this: if a transfiguration master, or an illusion master knows you're coming, and has had time to set up the battlefield, the best thing you can do is blow up the place in question. If you walk in there-you're not coming back out ever."

"Okay."

"So let's review: how many spells do you know to do silently?" Sarah was watching him like a hawk.

"Well…I know how to do diffindo, stupefy, protégé, disillusionment charm, defodio, confringo, confundo, and conjuctivis." Harry said feeling slightly proud of himself, apparently they didn't practice silent spell casting until sixth year.

Sarah smiled "Spells you can use non-silently, that come instantly to your mind?"

Harry frowned "Pertificus totalus, accio, the babbling curse, the banishing charm, riddikulus, the bubble-head charm, aguamenti, engorgio, expelliarmus, excepto patronum, furnunculus, impervious (he had definitely learned that one after hermoine used it on his glasses), and some conjuring spells."

He saw Sarah shake her head "Yeah, as I thought-kiddy stuff. Except for the patronum of course but that's a given. Even then it's too complicated for what other spells could do."

"That's the only way to drive away dementors!" Harry said feeling very maligned that all his efforts towards learning that spell were being discredited.

"Harry…we aim to make the minimum effort to get the maximum effect. We are conserving magical energy. We are NOT aiming to be flashy, and get the attention of every person that wants to kill you within the nearby area."

Harry winced at that valid point "But it's the only thing that works."

"Is it?"

"Well, yeah. The ministry says s-" Harry slapped his head with his palm at his exact words.

"Believe me we all go through that phrase of blind belief. But I think we can safely take anything the ministry says with a grain of salt. There is another method that works well. Conjuring and chains."

"But they aren't physical."

"Harry, how did one open your carriage door if he wasn't physical?" Sarah said exasperated.

Harry blinked and opened his mouth to answer…and rapidly closed it as he understood her point.

"Okay, so they're physical. They still depress everyone around them, and trying to cast a spell against them when you're depressed doesn't work. Believe me I've tried." Harry said remembering his past experiences.

"Which is why you place a cheering charm on yourself before you fight them. It works wonders in facing them." Sarah pointed out.

"Oh." Harry said, feeling rather stupid for not seeing that way.

"What you do with the cage-if you can get them in cage in the first place-is that you sink it or place it an isolated location and wait for them to starve out."

"Wait, Dementors can starve?!" Harry shouted surprised.

"Yes, they can. It takes a time of three weeks but it's possible. In fact, that's how wizards got them to serve in Azakaban-they needed to eat, and were decently far away from the main populace." Sarah said noticing Harry's dark look.

"Harry, we're going to begin conjuring chains, and spells to impediment magical and physical motion. I warn you some of this spells are not nice-at all."

Harry blinked in surprise. This was coming from the woman who had described a spell that could cave in somebody's chest as 'adequate'. For her to say that a spell wasn't nice…

"This is going to suck." Harry moaned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXlinebreak

As it turned out it didn't suck all that much.

Some of the spells were certainly nasty, like one that involved poisonous gas that was made by a german wizard after WW2 or the one involving barbed wire being wrapped around a person but none of them were all that bad. Spells to make sure that your enemy never ever saw you again? Yes. Spells that would rank up there with the unforgivable? Certainly not.

As he learned, he began to feel far more confident in himself. This time whatever occurrence that occurred this year, he was ready for it. He was not going to be caught blind like the last three years.

The irony of the phrase being caught blind occurred to him when his uncle greeted him one morning with a…odd letter.

"So" Vernon began already looking an interesting shade of purple "tell me…you think they placed enough stamps there? The mailman certainly seemed to think so."

Harry winced. Vernon was obsessed with normality, and the fact that anyone even came close to associating him with something weird was usually enough to set him enough. It was only the thought of Alice paying a visit to him again, that stopped him from yelling at Harry.

If violence, threats and cajolement didn't solve your problems, you weren't doing it right.

"They're somewhat new to the whole mail concept." _At least by postage_, Harry silently thought "They're trying though."

"I…see." Vernon was looking at the letter, like he particularly wanted to burn it.

In perhaps what was a wise move, Vernon decided to hand the letter to Harry and leave the room as quickly as possible so as to forget the unnatural occurrence. Harry sighed in relief. He still remembered the iron bars, and locked doors.

A rather terrifying thought began to occur to Harry. How were the Weasleys planning to get here? Another even more terrifying thought occurred to him that had him going for the phone at speeds that made Flash seem slow.

What were his teachers going to think about it?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXlinebreak

As it turned out his teachers were fine with it. So long as he continued to avidly study new spells, and other ways of using them, they were going to be fine. The problematic part came when it came for Harry to pack up some stuff.

The phrase 'crazy prepared' came to mind.

"Miss Licens…."

Alice finished packing another cylinder within a bag and gave it to Harry "Yes?"

"I am not going to a warzone."

"That's exactly the problem." Alice retorted.

"What?" Harry said shocked.

"Harry…people who attract chaos like you, and with that dream of yours" Harry grimaced, he knew he shouldn't have told them that "Do you honestly think that the World cup is going to be a completely non violent experience for you?"

"It could happen." Harry said defensively.

Alice gave him a skeptical look.

Harry relented "Okay. I'll just take twelve of whatever those cylinders are though. I don't want the Weasley twins hounding me for test samples."

"I would hope you would just tell them no." Alice said calmly.

Harry didn't deign to answer that. Instead, he asked a question that filled him with dread "What are those cylinders anyway?"

"Spell grenades." Alice curtly said.

"…I'm probably going to regret this but could you describe more?" Harry asked.

Alice sighed "Grenades which when they go off, release a spell. These are completely reusable as well, making them perfect for long siege like conflicts."

"Any spell can go in there?" Harry said looking at the cylinder with awe.

"Well the spell has to be a direct effect type of spell. For example, you're not going to put a spell like avis within. You could put a spell that would turn the ground into pure potassium and then spray aguamenti over it. Spells that require a further mental component? No. Also unforgivable are not to be put in-it destabilizes the whole rune structure"

"So how do I put a spell in there?"

"You cast it in the red button." Alice said pointing at the top of the small cylinder "Then when priming it you say _Drei_."

"Isn't that German?" Harry said.

"The creator of this things was German okay." Alice snapped at him.

"Anything else?" Harry said with worry.

"Well, I would give you a gun but you don't know how to handle one. It might go off on your face, just as it might shoot the enemy." Alice explained much to Harry's relief. He still wasn't fully comfortable with using Knives (best silent weapon you'll ever meet! Alice expressed), and wasn't about to go to guns yet. The next phrase made Harry stand up to attention "So I decided to give you this."

It was a small die-like device. It was inverted from a normal dice, and the white spots seemed to glow brightly. Harry took it gingerly, wondering if this was some cute weapon of mass destruction. Knowing Alice's fondness for methods that grinded the enemy out of existence, he wouldn't have put it past her.

"The dice are ward generators" Alice explained, deliberately ignoring Harry's sigh of relief "When the word Ward Out is said, they project a ward that prevents apparition , and portkeying. We use them for cornering wizards, who insist on using their teleportation to escape us. Be careful, this things only generate it for thirty minutes before they need to recharge."

"How do they recharge?" Harry said curious.

"Take your wand out, touch the dice, and say the words Recharge." Alice explained "The magic will be taken from you to recharge it. My advice is to not do it when you're close to magical exhaustion-apparently, it is a bitch from what Sarah says."

"Okay."

"My final gift, is this one." Alice said gesturing to two hand mirrors on the table.

Harry looked at it before looking at Alice "I know what you keep saying about my hair, but no mirror in the world is going to help me get it in shape."

Alice's eye twitched "This mirrors are communication devices. If you ever get in trouble, contact us. We'll see if we can help you with knowledge."

"Thanks." Harry smiled.

Just as Harry was leaving for the door, Alice stopped him to say goodbye "Harry…if you get in trouble and don't make the other asshole _at_ _least_ regret the day he met you, I will be _sorely _disappointed."

Harry could have sworn a sweat drop appeared on the back of his head at that moment "Yeah. I will do my best."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that J.K Rowling does.

Chapter 6:

To Harry, the wizarding world was a lot like a bag of outdated walnuts. While there were good nuts, the majority of the nuts were a black color unable to be seen through the shells. To anybody who was introduced in the world at first it would look like a wonderland.

So Harry wasn't at all surprised by how _petty_ some of the politicians were.

"…One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!" Amos Diggory said with obvious pride and to the complete silence of the Weasley clan surrounding him.

Harry Potter was _not_ of the Weasley clan.

"Why yes sir, just as one doesn't need a genius to be able to see that dementors the ministry sent there played quite a…_large_…part within that game." Harry said pleasantly, his smile razor sharp "But yes, Cedric is a really good flier, isn't he?"

'_I've been hanging around Alice way too much'_ Harry privately thought to himself.

Amos Diggory's proud smile slipped off, and Cedric did his best to look as small as possible. Harry almost felt pity for Cedric, seeing as he had tried to refute his dad earlier. Cedric distinctly reminded Harry of his old self, which had been a boy clearly out of his depth in many situations.

Mr. Weasley stepped in before any other words could be seen, looking at Harry in clear surprise for a moment "It is nearly time isn't it Amos? Anyone else in the area?" He said quickly.

"No, the Lovegoods are already there and the Fawcetts didn't get tickets." Amos said distinctly looking away from Harry "Anyone else in the area?"

"Not that I know of." Mr. Weasley said, taking a quick look at the watch "Minute off, so we should get ready."

He turned to Harry and Hermoine getting ready to explain how the portkey worked. Harry listened to it amiably, and not learning anything new that hadn't been told to him by Alice already. Alice had taken pains for teaching him a spell that would be able to tell him what was a portkey and what wasn't. Apparently Alice had a couple of bad experiences with such things and didn't want him getting in such a sticky situation.

Harry quickly clutched the boot, while having to struggle with his backpack. An idle thought about how odd it must look to anyone else without magic was quickly eclipsed by the thought of why had none of them thought to shrink their bagpacks. Any more thoughts were quickly dashed as Harry felt the hook and found himself on the ground.

'_Got to learn how to stand with one of these things' _Harry mused grouchily.

Harry stared at what had to be one of the weirdest cross-blends of Mexican and Scottish culture. Alice had apparently been completely correct when it came to the fact that Wizards didn't know how to blend it at all. Even in a crowded Oxford street, the man would have stood out like a red light.

Mr. Weasley greeted the cross-cultural man (basil) warmly, handing him the portkey which was placed absentmindedly to other inconspicuous objects. The man looked exhausted, and when Harry heard about how he was expecting a party from the Black forest, Harry understood. Dealing with mundane tourists was tiring enough, dealing with wizard tourists who probably shared a xenophobic culture with the British had to be a nightmare.

Harry began to follow the Weasley head, as he thanked Basil for directing him to the campground. When they got to the stone cottage, Harry recognized that the man was a mundane by the way of dress. Mr. Roberts quickly greeted them pleasantly, and confirmed their reservation.

They met their first cross-cultural boundary a moment later.

"Ah, Harry could you help me?" Mr. Weasley said nervously unrolling a roll of pounds. Harry realized that Mr. Weasley, in his typical scattered brain way, had probably failed to know what pounds were. Seeing that Mr. Roberts was looking at them questioningly, Harry quickly covered Mr. Weasley.

"He's been out of the country for a long time." Harry explained while Mr. Roberts gave an ah of understanding.

Mr. Weasley, clearly showing that he had the Weasley pride was particularly red faced when Harry began clarifying him on what was what "Each one has a number on it that says how much it's worth. The one that says 5 is 5, and so on." Harry clarified with Mr. Weasley quickly, in a distinctly non-whispering voice.

"At least you know when to ask for help. Someone kept insisting that gold coins were currency here." Mr. Roberts chuckled.

Before Mr. Weasley could respond, Harry stepped on "Practical joke. Really, can you imagine if it was actually gold? The amount of money you could make off that?"

"With this economy? True." Mr. Roberts laughed "Never been this crowded. Some sort of gathering?" He directed the question to Harry since the red-headed man apparently didn't know much about what was going on.

"Wicca. I'm guessing some people decided to show up with robes and such." Harry said, gesturing to his form of clothes.

"Yup. Makes sense now." Mr. Roberts said, giving back the change to Mr. Weasley blissfully unaware that there were very much real magic users around.

A man in plus fours suddenly appeared, and looked like he was going for a wand when he realized the situation was under control. He smiled at Harry, and at Mr. Weasley leading them to the gate "First bit of sense that I've seen today. Nice cover with the Wicca thing, boy."

Mr. Weasley who had been looking firmly out of place since Harry had taken control stepped up "Been having Trouble?" He said sympathetically.

"Ludo Bagman has been going around talking about quidditch at the top of his voice. No idea about anti-muggle security at all. Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over especially since I'm actually getting tired of obliviating him." The man didn't notice that Harry looked uncomfortable when he mentioned the mass memory wipes he had performed.

He disapparated and Ginny turned to her father "Isn't Mr. Bagman the Head of Magical Games and Sports? He should know better than to talk about Quidditch near muggles, shouldn't he?"

Mr. Weasley smiled "He should but he's always been…lax about security-"

Harry trailed off, as Mr. Weasley kept giving an explanation for Bagman's carelessness. Before he had gone to Licens, the word muggle wouldn't have really bothered them him that much but now that he knew it's etymology and had actually met a decent mundane (Although Alice couldn't be called 'decent' in the conventional sense)instead of the Dursleys and his neighbors, it was continually abrasive. The idea that a head of a department's carelessness caused massive brain washings of one unfortunate man when the simple explanation of a meeting of wicca would have (and did) smoothed things easier also left a foul taste.

His mood lightened up when he saw the campsite. He was amused by the countless additions to the 'mundane' tents the least of which were chimneys and the some of which looked like palaces.

….On the other hand, the wicca cover story could only explain so much.

"Doesn't anyone know how to be subtle?" Harry mused.

Mr. Weasley chuckled "We can't resist showing off when we're together."

Reaching their campground with a thoroughly misspelled WEEZLY on it, Mr. Weasley began talking about the pros and cons although his comment about being out on 'Muggle land' did cause a snort from Harry.

He really was hanging around Alice too much.

His comment about how they were going to put the tent by hand did cause an uncertain chill in Harry which was only solidified by how _excited_ Mr. Weasley looked.

After several minutes of Mr. Weasley making mayhem with his hammer, and the blind leading the blind they managed to get the tents into a shabby formation. Harry briefly wondered how they were all going to fit in there, a concern that was shared with Hermoine. Prepared for something unusual, Harry merely raised eyebrows instead of looking shocked when he saw that the interior was far larger than the outside.

"We'll need water…" Mr. Weasley mused.

Ron, who looked very unsurprised at the tent, responded "There's a tap on the other side of the field. It was on the map, marked by the muggle."

"Well, why don't you, Harry and Hermoine go and get us some water and the rest of us will get some wood for the fire?" Mr. Weasley said entirely too cheerfully.

"But we've got an oven," Ron said completely validly "Why don't we just-"

"Ron, anti-muggle security!" Mr. Weasley said with his face shining with anticipation, causing Harry to grimace with a feeling of doom "When real muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!"

While the last comment brought up some unwholesome thoughts as to Mr. Weasley's stalking habits, Harry felt compelled to agree with Ron "Sir, Mundane have lighters to light campfires with."

"Harry why are you using Mundane instead of muggle?" Ron looked confused.

"Now, my boy, Anti-Muggle security." Mr. Weasley said _glowing_ with fervor.

Harry groaned.

This was indeed going to suck.

While the previous night had introduced him to whole new aspects of wizardry that Harry hadn't known existed before his summer. It probably would have shocked him how there were wizards in other countries and there were other schools before he had gone to Licens, and gotten a crash course on basic magical world knowledge. He shook his head at how he had been so…enclosed…and simply continued.

Although he had to admit that the twin witches flying twin brooms in broad daylight were a bit much.

After feeling very much like a Spanish soccer fan would feel like surrounded by a large amount of British soccer fans by Miss Finnigan, they had come to the Bulgarian section. Harry got his first look at Krum and as Ron waxed rhapsodic on the quidditch star, he had to admit that Hermoine was indeed correct-he very much looked grouchy.

Chuckling along with Hermoine at the old wizard's comment on mundane clothing, Harry had to admit seeing his classmates was…nice. Especially Cho Chang, although that particular infatuation had been choked off by grim personality changes over the summer. Still, she looked rather beautiful.

Smiling at the fact that Mr. Weasley was still attempting to light the camp fire with matches, Harry quickly took out a lighter and lit the campfire. Mr. Weasley looked at the lighter "Muggle invention?"

"Yup." Harry quickly stowed it away because he just knew that the man would like to play with it, and Harry was not going to get chewed out by his wife for letting him get burned.

Halfway listening to the long litany of ministry employees that Mr. Weasley identified including an interesting horned one (how the hell had he not gotten noticed?), and listening to the description of the unspeakables (which more than a little reminded him of the Men in black description).

Ludo Bagman was….loud in both appearance, and voice. He rather reminded Harry of an overgrown schoolboy, and with his affixiation towards sports it fit perfectly. The rosy complexion and amount of energy he had with him, just added to the image.

Harry choked at the exuberant denial of any problems especially when a couple of ministry wizards raced to deal with a magical fire behind his back.

Harry gave the man bonus points for when he just looked up at the scar and didn't make any vocal exclamations.

The points went to the negatives when he tried to get the poor Mr. Weasley to bet, and sunk even further when the Weasley twins actually agreed to a bet. The setting was made lighter when Percy's stick up his ass was dislodged temporarily by Mr. Bagman's exuberance at the fake wand.

"Why don't you guys sign a contract to ensure that you get your money if you win?" He commented to the Weasley twins. The twins ignored him in their exuberance but Bagman suddenly burst into sweat, and changed the subject. Harry arched an eyebrow but shrugged; it wasn't his money.

His opinion of the man was hardly improved when he talked about his missing employee so flippantly. However, any thoughts he had towards the matter were suddenly diverted when he met Crouch. The man looked like he had a larger stick lodged up his ass than Percy, something that Harry privately marveled at. However, he certainly knew how to blend in and Harry privately approved of that.

Percy naturally sought to make an impression and once Bagman finished talking to Crouch, he stepped in to offer him a cup of tea. Any hope for a impression was cut short when he called Percy weatherby, and the twins snorted.

While Harry listened to the talk about flying carpets, and organization efforts. Harry snapped to attention when further organization efforts were mentioned. Especially when he mentioned it would occur at Hogwarts.

"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" said Fred at once "What were they talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Mr. Weasley, smiled.

Harry interjected before Percy could comment "I don't supposed you could tell me? Ministry injuctions within Hogwarts and other such interesting events have a tendency to bite me in the arse."

"There will be no dementors this time. You're safe." Mr. Weasley said, examining Harry closely and making Harry wonder what exactly was occurring behind those eyes.

He was very grateful for when Percy made his comment and diverted attention.

The salesman were certainly something new. Harry struggled with himself before simply asking for two Omnioculars so that he wouldn't hurt Ron's pride. He could easily watch it in normal time anyway while lending Ron his. He was actually beginning to like his so-called Slytherin side-it made relationships a lot easier when you could maneuver around people's comfort zones.

Even Harry's new cynical side couldn't keep the wonder of the stadium from affecting him. There were glowing advertisements on the blackboard, and the whole stadium had golden light suffused through it. Harry made a passing motion for the box, and stopped when he saw the house elf.

House elf and Quidditch…didn't end well when he was there.

"Dobby?" He asked taking out his wand and putting it lightly on his lap.

"Did sir just call me Dobby?" came the excessively squeaky voice.

"Yes, I did."

"My name is Winky, sir-" Her eyes flicked upwards inevitably. He really was going to have to learn some illusion spells " You is surely Harry Potter."

"Yes…" Harry said hesitantly.

In an awed tone "Dobby talks about you all the time, sir!"

Well…damn "So…How is he?"

"Ah, sir. I think you might have not done him a favor when you freed him."

Harry stopped himself from saying the obvious "I stopped him from being abused by the Malfoys, is there another problem?."

Winky shifted and made sure his eyes didn't meet hers when he mentioned abuse. Apparently it wasn't one of those topics you were supposed to talk about "Freedom is going to his head. He is getting ideas above his station."

Harry frowned, he didn't know much about House elf culture besides the fact that they apparently liked to clean and cook for its own sake. Their minds were completely out there for Harry who couldn't even understand how most people thought, let alone another race.

As Winky went on and even made a mention of a 'common goblin' (showing that racism did occur between races even if they were both in bad positions), Harry found that it left a bad taste in his mouth. Especially when she got to the part where she was afraid of heights.

Ron of course added his opinion "Weird things huh?"

"Dobby was weirder." Harry said firmly and smiling. If weird was Dobby then weird was very much good.

Important wizards continually came within the box. Harry was less than pleased, that Cornelius Fudge had talked to him in such a familiar manner but made sure not to express any stony expression seemed to make Fudge feel out of place but not enough so that he didn't point out Harry to the Bulgarian minister.

Harry found Fudge's antics particularly amusing and his reaction to the words "Why don't you just use a translation spell?" even better.

Then Draco Malfoy came.

Formerly Draco Malfoy would have been considered Harry's enemy. He still was in a sort of way, but Harry had killed a death eater and seen the remains of their victims. Now, Draco seemed very much like a frog puffing up itself to look bigger; futile and easily dealt with. If Draco was to ever become a death eater…well, Harry knew one particular chamber that could be accessed only by him and where no one would find a body.

His father and mother on the other hand….

Both were almost elfin in their beauty and lack of expression. Both were also known for dealing with death eaters, and likely didn't have any compuctions what so ever in making their hands dirty if necessary. Harry was actually surprised that no one had tried more imaginative ways to kill him like sending a mail delivery full of poisonous animals to him or assasination. If anyone could it would certainly be Lucius Malfoy.

"Ah, Fudge." Mr. Malfoy holding out his hand to the minister "Let me introduce you to my family, Narcissa and Draco."

Harry winced as the Minister introduced Arthur Weasley, and not just because of the unpleasantness that was going to ensue-he had seen the flicker of recognition and amusement in the Bulgarian minister's face when the minister had told Malfoy that he didn't understand them.

The sneering and posturing continued but Harry decided to make a statement "Mr. Malfoy, how pleased to meet you." He resolutely ignored his friends shocked glances "I've heard quite a bit about your magical book collection especially some of the more borderline texts. How is it by the way?"

Mr. Malfoy's face looked much like a mannequin-obviously the thought of his lord's reaction to the loss of a precious artifact wasn't far from his mind "In excellent condition, Mr. Potter. I thank you for your concerns but they are well cared for." The grip Lucius had over Harry's hand tightened as tight as possible, while Harry tightened his as tight as possible. The smiles on both of their faces grew strained before they let go.

Ron looked shocked "Harry…what the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Simply reminding him of some debts he has. That's all."

Hermoine who had understood all the subtext within, smiled.

Harry listened halfway to Bagman's exclamations before the Veela came. Harry looked in shock as Ron got up and looked at the Veela with a vacant look in the face. A quick look around the area, showed that Malfoys were keeping masterful pose although Draco looked a bit like Ron…and had a shield around him. Lucius was looking at Harry with an eyebrow arched just as Arthur was looking at Harry with interest.

Ron suddenly started to tear his shamrock up, and Mr. Weasley stopped him while looking at Harry "You'll be wanting to keep that."

Harry frowned "Can someone explain what just happened?"

Arthur looked curious "You didn't feel it?"

"Feel what?" Harry asked looking to see that some of the men seemed to be waking up and angry shouts followed.

"The influence. Any unattached male should be feeling it."

"Oh." Harry commented and felt the band around his wrist. The bracelet made it so that it was nigh impossible to break into his mind-he supposed it worked against the influence the Veela put out as well.

Damn it, now Mr. Weasley was wondering what exactly was happening and would no doubt be telling Dumbledore about it.

Noting that his wand had rolled from his lap, he placed in the inside pocket of his robe. Just in time as he gaped at the moving rainbow of leprechauns. He squinted as he saw gold come down.

Harry gaped as a golden rain fell down when the Irish mascots. It was too good to be true. Wait, it was too good to be true. He frowned and looked at the gold before waving his wand over it. The gold vanished and Harry snorted.

Ron was collecting it and Harry briefly thought about stopping him before coming to the conclusion that it would make him feel better to have gold for a while.

Harry was stuck looking in normal vision as Ron borrowed his omnioculars. He didn't mind too much as the action heated up and more than a few people were hit by bludgers. He evaluated them with a seeker's eye and noticed how…seamlessly they worked together. Krum was certainly better but the Irish team was better overall.

He smiled as everyone except for the females plugged their ears to protect themselves from the influence. He outright laughed when he saw the Referee try to pull a macho routine in front of the Veela. Harry whistled as things got rather nasty between the Leprechauns and the Veela.

Mr. Weasley chuckled "That is why you don't just go for beauty alone!" Harry arched a brow and figured that he would see it later on the omnioculars.

He winced as Krum was clubbed in the face, and caught the snitch. Krum has obviously known he was losing and from Hermoine's comment he obviously looked bad.

"Vell, ve fought bravely." Came a voice that sounded much like a Dracula film. He wasn't particularly surprised when he saw that it was the Bulgarian minister-how could a minister not speak one of the most wide spread languages in the world?

Fudge however had not thought that and it showed as he spluttered and generally made an idiot of himself. Not that that was particularly hard to do.

He looked interestingly at the Bulgarian quidditch team, and noted Krum's beaten up state; Hermoine was completely correct. Lych looked dazed but obviously the cup took precedence.

Harry thought the best part about it all was the look on Bagman's face when the Weasley Twins approached them about their money.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXLinebreak

Alice's assertation of something happening proved correct. He hated how predictable his life was getting.

"Get into the woods!" Mr. Weasley roared before going to help.

Dissapearing off to the side, and seeing the group of wizards marching forth with the mundane in the air, Harry took out his invisibility cloak and crouched down below waist level. Wouldn't do for a stray spell to hit him. He prepped the grenades and prepared his wand.

The sounds of drunk laughter sickened him but not as much as he saw that people were _joining _them. He shook his head as people continued to flee-really, there were far more of them than of this drunk revelers and they could have easily put these people down if they wanted to. He saw the ministry wizards were being cautious and couldn't hit them because of fear of the mundane falling. He brought out the dice and commanded "Ward out"

With a single sharp movement, he pushed the grenades toward the drunk revelers and said with a grin "Drei".

The effects were everything he'd thought they would be. Blasting curses took the form of round spheres of destruction which proceeded to make it so that the group's edge suddenly were missing most of their lower leg material. The surprise made it so that people were still moving forward when they fell causing more than a few screams of pain as the fallen people were stepped on.

He silently summoned the grenades, and quickly went to the opposite side of the group.

Wizards were firing at the area which the grenades had come from believing he was still there. He shook his head and reenchanted the grenades and added a disillusion spell to make them invisible, then he threw them in the air so that it would hit around the head area. He placed himself next to a burning tent so that the spells (now being thrown beneath knee level) didn't hit him by accident.

The ministry was going into the fray after they had safely taken away Mr. Roberts and his family. Harry rolled his eyes as they were using Stupefys and other similar spells while the revelers were using darker spells.

"Drei"

The grenades went off. The blasting curses he had put in were deadly at head level as more than a few revelers found out. Harry felt bile in his throat as he saw brain matter hit the ground in front of him but one look at Mr. Roberts consolidated him. Now seeing that he had committed his fair share of mayhem, and that the ministry was wondering exactly where the grenades had come from, he summoned the grenades and the ward generator. Instantly they started portkeying out except for a few corpses.

He dashed into the forest, and stopped.

Calming himself, he whispered a spell "Point me, Ron Weasley."

The wand pointed east, and Harry immediately went into that direction tripping every so often. He stopped as he heard a familiar voice talking to Ron.

Draco Malfoy.

Grimacing, he stepped behind the tree and stayed silent as Draco talked to them "You wouldn't like her spotted." Draco said motioning to Hermoine.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermoine said in a challenge but could tell there was a trace of fear.

Draco's voice practically exuded smugness "They're after _muggles_, Granger. Do you want to be showing off your knickers in midair. Because if you do, hang around….we could all use a laugh."

"I'm certainly not laughing, Draco." Harry slid in smoothly and Draco backed away in surprise "What I do know is a simple fact-if they use Hermoine as a hostage, I'm going to very much use you as a human shield."

Draco sneered "You wouldn't have the guts. My father-"

"Has just portkeyed out of there. Not hearing any more blasts, are you? But you know in chaotic situations like this…what's one more body?"

Draco looked around to see that it was three to one and paled.

Harry shifted to look at his friends who were looking frightened at both Draco and Him. Perhaps he shouldn't have expressed such sentiments in front of them…but after seeing that back there, he wasn't being so controlled about his emotions.

"Come on guys. Let's get out of here." Harry said ignoring the pale pureblood.

He ignored the gaggle of French girls, and kept on moving. He paused as he saw Winky trying to get out of the bushes-was one of her master's orders restraining her to give her such difficulty?

"There is bad wizards about!" Winky said attempting to get to the other side of the bushes.

"She's defying the Master's orders." Harry quietly realized.

"House elves get a raw deal. It's slavery is what it is! That…Mr…Crouch. Why doesn't anyone do something?"

Harry snorted "This is the magical world-they're still stuck in the 1600's. Don't expect civil rights."

Ron jumped in "Well, House elves enjoy their work don't they?" Harry was forced to agree to that particular sentiment "You heard her…they liked being bossed around." Ron sound rather faint at the end as if realizing exactly how he sounded.

Hermoine rounded on Ron but Harry cut them off before the tirade could begin "Let's keep moving alright."

Ron pointed out a truth "You told us they portkeyed didn't you?"

Harry looked at them "They did…but there's no guarantee they didn't portkey into the woods and took off their masks. Perhaps they're searching for stragglers right now."

Both Ron and Hermoine paled and moved faster.

As they passed a couple that were bragging about their exploits, and a nervous Bagman who Harry secretly despised for not being there to help them, Harry noted their looks of fear. The looks of fear were at him, though.

"Alright, what is it?"

They jumped "What?"

"You two keep looking at me like you expect me to bite you. What is it?"

Hermoine and Ron looked at each other "Well, Harry back there…what you said to Malfoy…"

"Are you telling me that you wouldn't use him as a shield?"

"No!" Hermoine shouted "But it's just not right!"

Harry arched an eyebrow "You're telling me that being chased by terrorists…and you're worrying about a little twit who was amused by the thought of you being used for their entertainment?"

"No. Just Harry, when we saw you come back from the Dursleys we noticed you're not the same. That conversation back there just proved it."

Ron finally stepped forward "What happened mate?"

Harry looked between the two "I saw how they were enjoying it back there. Do you really want to think about what they were going to do after they got tired of levitating them?"

Both Ron and Hermoine gulped.

Harry suddenly noticed how silent it had become.

"MORSMORDRE!"

A green mark suddenly showed up in the air, and Harry paled as he recognized it. The dark mark…which meant…the three started running but were stopped by the sound of pops. Harry took a quick assessment of the situation, and noticed that every wand was pointed at them. Without thinking he pulled them down with him, just as green spells took the clearing.

He saw the green spells bounce around, and wondered whether they were going to accidently get hit by one. He put a protégé in place just in case.

"Stop!" came Mr. Weasley's voice "STOP! _That's my son!_"

Harry rose with the protégé shield still in place to look at Mr. Weasley. The man looked terrified and started gasping their names. A voice cut through the darkness telling Arthur to move.

Then Harry saw Mr. Crouch. The man had clearly lost any composure he had, and was looking between them. His eyes went from one to one "Which one of you did it? Which one of you conjured it?" He growled spittle coming out.

They all simaltenously yelled out "We didn't do it!"

"Don't lie to me! You've been discovered at the scene!" He said, eyes popping and keeping a wand on Harry, the only person that had a shield up.

"Barty. They're kids, they wouldn't know how t-" Started a witch.

Mr. Weasley seeing how out of control the situation was stepped forward "Where did the mark come from?"

Hermoine mutely pointed not daring to say anything to set off the madman in front of them.

"Oh, just over there! How curious!" Barty snapped out but he was alone in his belief.

"…Maybe" Amos "The stunners went through there…so."

Amos strode forward, and Harry moved to let him pass. Barty was looking at Harry that still had his shield up.

The words that Amos said had never been heard with so much relief "I've got someone over here…but."

The tableau that followed made Harry gape. Why would a house elf-which probably hadn't been alive that far back-summon a dark mark? Heck, how would they know the incantation in the first place? The death eaters stance on anything that was nonhuman was _very_ clear.

It was a set-up.

Even if Winky wasn't the one and Crouch had fired her in a rather humiliating way, that meant she knew more than she was talking about. No one was going to touch her and she would probably drifting forever…

Winky was going to take the fall.

_Fuck_ no.

"Winky, you need a new master don't you?" Harry said and Crouch turned his beady eyes to him.

"Boy!"

Harry ignored him "Would you like me to be your master?"

Winky stopped her sobbing and looked at him in disbelief "But…Winky…"

"Do you?" Harry forcibly said.

Winky hesitated…and shakily nodded.

Barty Crouch looked like he was going to burst, and every wizard looked at him like he was nuts.

Very well then. He had thought that Weird was good back then…time to put his money where his thoughts were.

"How much?" Harry asked Crouch.

"I give her to you for _free_." Crouch growled and left the clearing.

All the other wizards left giving Harry looks of disbelief.

"Harry…" Hermoine said in disbelief.

Mr. Weasley coughed "Well, we should be getting back to the tent. Well, let's hop to it."

As they left the clearing, Harry knew that he had taken a step forward in front of the ministry that showed clearly what he was. He knew that it was going to somehow bit him back in the ass. There was the problems of having a house elf. He knew next to nothing about having one. He certainly couldn't keep her in the Dursleys.

So be it.

Harry would have been disappointed if the year hadn't begun with a sufficient bang anyway.


End file.
